Big Wednesday

John Milius's paean to the art and discipline of hot dog surfing is marred by pushy philosophizing and a fair number of overripe lines, but its sincerity is deep and seductive. Jan-Michael Vincent, Gary Busey, and William Katt, three surfing buddies who grow up but never entirely outgrow their sport, reunite to face the once-in-a-lifetime challenge of a giant ocean swell. Milius can be faulted for reviving a number of ostensibly dead macho myths, but in the context of the subculture his film deftly re-creates, they take on the aura of eternal values. The breathtaking surfing footage, rather than the slightly stunted characters, makes his most eloquent argument.
ByDave Kehr